751G.94/57a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)

[Paraphrase]

334. At earliest moment possible, unless you perceive objection, please obtain further interview with Minister for Foreign Affairs and take up with him the two matters which follow, as under instruction from this Government:

(1)
Refer to the conversation you had on August 7 with the Minister (your telegram No. 672, August 7, 10 p.m.7) and say to him that within the past few days reports from several sources have come to the Department of State to the effect that the Government of Japan has presented an ultimatum to the French authorities in Indochina [Page 292] on Japan’s demands for permission to Japanese armed forces, for purposes of military operations against China, to pass through French territory and to use military bases and other facilities. The Government of the United States is reluctant to believe these reports, and it wishes to point out the unfortunate effect on American public opinion from the point of view of Japanese-American relations if these reports prove to be correct. Especially will this be true in view of statement which the press attributed on June 19 to a representative of the Japanese Foreign Office which said, in effect, that Japan attached importance to maintaining the status quo in French Indochina.
(2)
Please present with emphasis the urgency of settling at an early date the question of defense sectors at Shanghai.7a You will say that, several days having elapsed since the representations you made on August 27 and as the Japanese authorities at Shanghai have put forward no new considerations in support of their opposition to decision reached by majority vote of the Shanghai Defense Committee, the Government of the United States confidently hopes for prompt agreement by the Government of Japan to a solution of the controversy along the lines of the Committee’s decision. In your presentation, please remind the Minister of what you said to him on August 27 in regard to possible changes in the policy of this Government, adding that position which has been taken by the Japanese authorities at Shanghai and situation which arises from the delays and uncertainties caused by that position is having a bad effect upon American public opinion.

Repeat text of this telegram to Shanghai, to be repeated to Peiping and to Chungking.

Hull
  1. Not printed; see memorandum, August 7, 1940, supra.
  2. See statement by the Secretary of State, September 4, 1940, p. 111.